The words “tattoo parlor” used to conjure up dark images of a counter-culture populated by shady characters. But today’s tattoo parlors are more likely to be havens for artists who find that the body is as good a canvas as any for their pursuits. Just ask Julie Welch, the owner of Yoni Tattoo in Tarzana. A fine artist by training, Welch turned to tattoo work about 10 years ago. She acquired her shop about 18 months ago when its former owner was having trouble making ends meet. Welch spoke with staff reporter Shelly Garcia about the art of running a tattoo business. “I’d been an artist doing paintings and drawings and all kinds of consignment work, and a friend of mine offered to teach me tattoo art. I enjoyed the art aspect, and it was fun. “My old art teacher thinks I’ve wasted my life, but it’s not a waste. I’m still an artist. People are just a walking canvas. “Tattoos seem like they’ve gotten a lot more artistic than they used to be. It seems like there are a lot more artists now than 10 years ago. They’re realizing it is an art form. Generally in the last few years I’ve noticed a lot of suns and dolphins are starting to win popularity over hearts and banners. “We’re more of a custom shop. We don’t have all the usual pictures on the wall like other shops. We work with customers on a drawing on paper until they’re happy with it. It forces the person to think about what they’re getting. It has more meaning for them. “We don’t tattoo drunk people. They think they need to have a drink to calm their nerves, but more than one (drink) thins your blood and makes you bleed more. And half the time they regret it in the morning. “We have a $50 minimum for the first half hour. Anything over one-half hour is $100 an hour. We look at the drawing and give customers an estimate of how long it will take to do the tattoo. The longest I’ve worked on one person was five hours. It was a big dragon piece, two dragons fighting. “Tattoo artists have to register with (Los Angeles) County. You have to take a course on sterilization (of instruments) and show proof of immunity to hepatitis or have had the (immunization) shots. “We have release forms that people have to sign, saying they don’t have hepatitis or AIDS or other diseases, but we treat everybody like they have something. We use sterile, single-use needles. Everything is covered in plastic and it’s thrown away after each use. “Business has gotten a lot better than it was before. Generally most customers are repeats or new customers from word-of-mouth.”